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A man who was shot to death late last month in South Seattle was in a confrontation that led to his death, the man arrested for his homicide allegedly told police.

The victim, Andrew Johnson, has a history of being uncooperative and dangerous, according to police, and court records show he was previously enrolled at a mental health facility.

The 23-year-old man who police say shot Johnson March 28 was arrested April 2 and the following morning booked into King County Jail, where he remains on $1 million bail. He was arrested in the 4500 block of 12th Avenue South.

Seattlepi.com is not naming the suspect because he hasn't been charged.

About 11:45 p.m. on March 28, 911 dispatchers got a report of shots fired outside a home in the 4600 block of South Brandon Street. As officers were driving there, they were told a person was on the ground in front of the home.

They found Johnson unresponsive. The 24-year-old died at the scene from wounds to the head and chest.

Johnson's case is the fourth homicide in Seattle this year and was the first since Feb. 9. His case is the first from 2010 in which a suspect has been arrested.

The night of the shooting, police say the suspect, another man and two women were in a vehicle parked in the 4600 block of South Brandon Street. The driver noticed Johnson walking toward the vehicle then Johnson suddenly came at him through the driver's side window, according to court documents.

The driver accelerated and lost sight of Johnson. He then came around to drop both women off and stopped on the side of the road.

"Andrew Johnson suddenly emerged from the shadows and ran toward the passenger side grabbing at (the suspect) who fired three shots at Andrew Johnson striking his body," Seattle Police Detective Russell Weklych wrote in a probable cause document.

Detectives later contacted the driver and two women who relayed those details, according to court documents.

When the 23-year-old suspect was arrested, police said he waived his Miranda rights and admitted to shooting Johnson. Prosecutors have until Wednesday to file charges.

The alleged attacker has a short criminal history in Washington. His record includes a juvenile court case from 2000 and another case from 2007. Court documents in the latter case are archived and were not available Tuesday morning.

Police documents show officers had a history with Johnson, though they did not say if previous incidents were relevant to his homicide investigation.

Last month, police used a Taser on Johnson and called him uncooperative and dangerous.

About 11:30 p.m. Feb. 12, police were called to Rainier Avenue South and South Byron Street where someone reported Johnson was running around yelling with a machete in his hand.

Witnesses said the man was hitting telephone poles and hacking street signs. Police found Johnson walking in a white hooded sweatshirt near another man. He carried the machete in his right hand, police said.

When officers turned on their lights and shined a spotlight on him, Johnson ran, according to an incident report.

As officers caught up, police said he ran around a vehicle parked in the 2900 block of South Byron Street. Officer Darryl D'Ambrosio got out of his patrol car with his Glock pistol drawn.

"I ordered (Johnson) to drop the machete and get down on the ground," D'Ambrosio wrote. "(Johnson) smiled at me and turned and fled west to the southeast corner of the building."

Another officer, also with his gun drawn, ordered Johnson to drop the machete and get down.

Johnson "huddled at the corner of the building, still trying to conceal the 12-1/2 inch machete," D'Ambrosio wrote. "(He) was making eye contact with us and smiling at us." Police then used the Taser to take him into custody, according to the report.

The man who was with Johnson told police they had been drinking in the International District earlier that Friday night. They continued drinking at an apartment in the 2900 block of South Byron Street, and Johnson walked with the man as he was going to a bus stop, according to the report.

Court records show he pleaded guilty to unlawful weapon use in Seattle Municipal Court and had three other counts -- obstruction, first-degree property destruction and carrying a concealed weapon -- dropped as part of his negotiated plea.

Police said Johnson previously had been caught driving with a suspended license and had a misdemeanor King County Sheriff's Office warrant for missing a court date.

Johnson also was the subject of a no-contact order from Federal Way, prohibiting him from carrying weapons, according to police.

Last year, court records show Johnson re-enrolled at Sound Mental Health as part of a domestic violence assault case that began in 2006. He pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence.

In a separate case, police say Johnson violated a domestic violence protection order in 2008, but the case was dismissed with a negotiated not guilty plea.